Inmate publication aims to be voice of CSP-Solano

Photo and story by Krissi Khokhobashvili, CDCR Public Information Officer

It could be any newsroom. The coffee’s brewing, the ideas are flying and the laughs are plenty, but flowing underneath it all is a mission that’s no joke to this team of writers: to tell truthful, powerful stories in a lasting way.

Really, the only difference between this newsroom and a newspaper or magazine office is the setting – these men are part of the Solano Vision, a quarterly publication created and produced by inmates at California State Prison-Solano (SOL).

“There are so many rumors, and there is so much hearsay, that we like to document and give articles that have actual factual truth to them,” said Dave Ewart, the Vision’s administrative editor. “We feel that we’re the avenue to do that through.”

The Vision began when Editor-in-Chief Cole Bienek rounded up a team of writers to contribute.

“I just went around and grabbed these guys and said, ‘Please write,’” Bienek explained.

And they did. The first issue published in January 2014, featuring stories about SOL’s education programs, self-help programs and even a few book reviews.

Members of SOL’s Education Department serve as advisers for the Vision, including Principal Kenya Williams and teachers Rudolph Muldong, Tara Foster and Catherine Resurreccion. Because California inmates do not have Internet access, any Internet research is performed by staff, who have also provided space and some equipment for the Vision.

“I think it is important for the inmate population to have a voice,” Williams said. “The Solano Vision is that voice. It is my hope that the Solano Vision provides information, becomes a resource to reference and a voice in the night. I want it to be a meaningful and thoughtful publication.”

In an editorial introducing the Vision, Bienek outlines the team’s hopes for the brand-new publication.

“Prisoners share the common human desire to be heard, and to have concerns, hopes, dreams and fears represented in a meaningful way,” he wrote, adding that declining population numbers have contributed to the addition of more rehabilitative programming and self-help opportunities, helping many men prepare to return home.

“Solano is beginning to develop its own personality, its own ethic,” Bienek added. “It is becoming a place where we are able to step away from the madness, wash the sleep from our eyes and awaken to a different view.”

The Vision’s team of writers and editors are one example of the diversity SOL is known for. The men are from different backgrounds and experiences, both in and out of prison. Bienek and writer Kris Himmelberger have experience as contributors to the San Quentin News, Photo Editor Steve Drown comes with an eye for quality photojournalism, Ewart has managed hundreds of people in a professional educational setting, Managing Editor Wendell Bigelow offers both analytical legal expertise and the creativity that comes with being a jazz drummer, and Copy Editor Greg Coglianese has the patience and attention to detail necessary to keep the Vision organized. On top of that, Coglianese adds, “I’m the fun stuff guy,” bringing poetry, puzzles, riddles and trivia to the pages of the Vision.

A Journalist’s Guild rounds out the crew, with several men contributing articles from sports and entertainment to staff news and commentary on life in prison and hopes for the future.

“The biggest pleasure I’ve had is working with this group of guys who are sitting at the table right now,” Drown said, adding that because each writer is heavily involved in different programs at SOL, they’re able to bring voices from all corners of the institution.

Notably, the Visions’ third edition featured a story on James “Alex” Alexander, a former SOL inmate who paroled and was recognized by the Dalai Lama as one of the “Unsung Heroes of Compassion.” Bienek’s story about Alexander was published not only in the Vision, but also in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Rehabilitation Today newsletter and by the Alternatives to Violence Project.

“I think it’s done a tremendous job,” Himmelberger said, pointing out that as the Vision continues to grow, more help will be needed from both inside and outside the prison.

The first edition of an inmate-produced newspaper, The Nugget, was published in 1965 at Sierra Conservation Center.

Inmate-run publications are not new to California state prisons; the San Quentin News’ roots date back to the 1920s. Of late, several institutions have introduced newsletters, including R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego and Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. Newsletters go through administrative review from their institutions and headquarters, and are recognized by CDCR as positive programs that help prepare inmates for successful returns to their communities by fostering writing and communication skills.

Bigelow explained that “newsletter” might not be the best term to describe the Vision. As a relatively new and quickly evolving publication, the Vision is still developing into what it will become – a journal of social change? True stories of redemption? A chronicle of programs, happenings and changes at SOL? Or – and perhaps most likely – a compilation of all of those things.

“One of our goals is to try to ensure longevity through organic interest from people on this side of the wall to people on the outside of the wall,” Bigelow said.

The hope for the Vision is to develop into a larger program with outside volunteers to serve as advisers and help in the production process – similar to the San Quentin News, which draws professional journalists and students to its office on a regular basis, along with hosting forums featuring lawmakers, educators and activists. Like the San Quentin News, the Vision operates without state funding, so donations of time and equipment are welcome. People interested in learning more about the Solano Vision should call (707) 451-0182.

The Vision will continue to grow, and change, as writers join and leave, some for other projects, some to go home. Bienek himself has had to step back in large part from the Vision, as he is enrolled in the time-intensive Offender Mentor Certification Program, training to become a certified substance abuse counselor. But, thanks to the Vision’s dedicated team, he’s confident the publication’s mission will not fade.

“I always wanted it to be a voice of everybody who is here,” he said. “The people who live here, the people who work here, the people who visit here.”

7 Comments

JAY D.
on Monday, April 25, 2016 at 11:34 am

David E. was my school principal and killed his wife, who was my teacher. Left the gas on in the house to cover it up. I guess reading this article is tough to have any empathy.

It’s difficult to process loss and grief, and yet that is exactly the direction some of us must go in order to begin a healing process of some degree. Otherwise, we tend to become ill mentally and physically. I will not disrespect the people who have expressed such contempt for the men who are incarcerated, by restating that the reformers said, “It is enough that you take away a person’s liberty, but also give them the means by which to rehabilitate themselves in order that they may become better people.” However, that is the ultimate goal, not just within this justice system, but all around the world; to change the mind set. I’ve lost two brothers to violence, and growing up in a rough neighborhood that seemed to suck the life out of so many young people, was a miserable. However, our community realized that we had to find a way to cope and to correct, and not by doing the same things to the ones who had done harm, because that would only re-enforce that it was okay. Above all, I understand the hurt, however, the bigger picture for me is not to be changed in a negative way by it. Not to become like that which I say I hate, not to allow those feelings or that spirit to take over my being.

Good to see that inmate editor-in-chief Cole Bienek has a big smile on his face and is
expressing highly intellectual phrases.
Cause of his infamous murder from base motives we lost our uncle in
Palm Springs on September 18th…27 years ago.
Unfairly our beloved uncle Hans never had the chance to express himself after he got
stoned to death…we cannot forget…and will never forget our uncle Hans.

I am a family close friend of Dean Lewis’ family. I was with the family at Dean’s funeral. It was heartbreaking what this family went through. It still haunts me. Did it tear the family apart? Yes, it did. Still does to this day. Dean was a doll and he was killed for nothing. He was not even seeing his ex-girlfriend anymore. 16 years on this earth and Greg has at least a little bit of freedom. You murderers are all evil. How does your conscience not torture you? All I can say is that one day Greg you will come face to face with God, and Dean too.

Wow … Well it is again upsetting to see brutal murderers have so much freedom of press, to be able to have the freedom to be a part of something that gives them a voice! Well, when Greg Coglianese left my brother brutally murdered on the side of that road, did my brother have a voice or any freedom at that point? He has made attempts to show his “art work” in a public forum as well. WTH is happening with our correctional systems? Yet although he did not get the death penalty, the promise when someone is incarcerated is that these people will have NO freedoms! I’m outraged! Unacceptable!

There is a large part of me that doesn’t want to write this, but I suppose the part that does is larger, still. Greg Coglianese viciously murdered my nephew 25 years ago on October 6th. I am still bothered that anyone cares how he feels or wants to see him express himself. He left a wound in our family that is still so very deep, even after all these years. I wish my nephew was here so that he could be a part of a “program” to stimulate higher learning, or be married, have children, celebrate life with us all, but Greg stole that from every member of our family!

Like I said, there is a big part of me that didn’t want to write this. There isn’t a single cell in my being that is happy about seeing this online, and do not care to see his face published anywhere. My nephew’s life ended when he was 16 for 6 days … what we wouldn’t do to have him here with us! This man deserves the death penalty, not a spot as a copy editor of a prison newspaper! And the fact that he touts himself as the “fun stuff guy”? Are you kidding me? He should be in a box, 6 feet under in the cold, cold ground. I understand that it is your job to take an evil monster and try to shove some decency, humanity and skill to send him back out into the world. My hope is that he never returns to society.

Any program that stimulates higher skills and critical thinking will have a profound effect on the participants. In the process of introspection, we are all forced to consider our choices and their effects on others. It sounds like good things are happening in Solano.